NFL Draft Rewind: 2008 Rounds 1-3

In the coming weeks leading up to the April 28th NFL Draft, I will be taking a look at past Bengals drafts during the Marvin Lewis era. Today’s I look back at rounds 1-3 of the 2008 Bengals draft. After a disappointing losing season and back to back near misses of the playoffs, the team still held high hopes that with Palmer, anything was possible. Without Palmer, who was injured in a week 3 loss at the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants, a 4-11-1 disaster occurred. The rest, as they say, is history…

Round 1: Keith Rivers, LB, USC. Rivers has been a great addition, and he helped solidify the defense into a formidable unit.

Other options: Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker Jerod Mayo was the next pick.

Round 2: Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina. The rumor at the time was that the Steelers were going to take Simpson, so we snagged him while the Steelers went with Limas Sweed. Simpson underachieved but showed flashes late last season, while Sweed has been a bust.

Other options: DeSean Jackson, the stud All Pro WR for the Eagles, was selected three picks after Simpson. Doh!

Round 3: Pat Sims, DT, Auburn. Hopefully he won’t be remembered as the guy that cost us a game jumping offsides against the Saints last season. Sims has emerged as a solid player in our tackle rotation.

Round 3 Compensatory: Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida Caldwell had some magic moments in the run to the 2009 Division title, and he played well at the end of last season, but it’s not yet clear if he can be consistent.

Coming next week: I will finish the 2008 NFL Draft and then take a look at the possible picks the Bengals will make in next week’s draft.